novelnext Chapter 220 : The Finders Department
Chapter 220 : The Finders Department
Immediately after the Mock Battle ended, the arena remained in an uproar for quite some time.“So this is really how it ends?!”
“We didn't even manage to destroy a single watchtower...”
“What kind of match was this?!”
Some Schuler stood there in disbelief, unable to accept the outcome.
Meanwhile—
“This isn't right...!”
“Isn't that cheating? Let's go argue with Professor Jennings!”
Others, unable to contain their frustration, prepared to march over and protest to Professor Jennings.
However—
“Shut your mouths. If you've lost, accept your defeat like proper losers.”
The moment Kunking growled, everyone shrank back under his intimidating presence and ultimately fell silent.
Our eyes met for a brief moment.
“Hmph.”
He snorted before turning his head away.
It didn't seem like he had any intention of speaking to me.
Heidel remained just as indifferent as ever.
It was as though he had no interest in either victory or Contribution Score.
“...”
Sia stood some distance away, secretly glancing at me from time to time.
Whenever our eyes met, she immediately pretended to adjust her scarf.
...In any case, the schedule had finally come to an end.
I was about to leave as well, but—
“Young Master! I heard you used hundreds of Object puppets! How did you do it? It's such a shame I didn't get to see it myself! I wanted to fight against you too...!”
Kaelyn grabbed my collar and stopped me.
Soon afterward, Ren and the others joined us.
Elined didn't say anything, but a faint smile rested on her lips.
“Mr. Villed, that was incredible! What kind of magic did you use?”
Ren's question only made my headache worse.
There was no way I could honestly reveal that I'd stored hundreds of Objects using a Spirit Creature's ability.
I simply gave a vague answer and brushed it aside.
Afterward, Jennings summoned both me and Ren's group to his office to apologize.
Fortunately, Jennings didn't stubbornly question me about exactly how I'd fought during the Mock Battle.
Before we left, he merely said that he looked forward to the official match.
The official match was on an entirely different scale.
The number of participants alone couldn't even be compared to this Mock Battle.
The routes became more complicated.
There were more watchtowers.
Even the gigantic golem, 'Block,' which couldn't be used during the Mock Battle, could now be summoned.
Jennings clearly expected me to perform even more spectacularly than I had during the Mock Battle...
'Why would I?'
There wasn't a single reason for me to meet those expectations.
The reason I'd aimed for fifth place in the Mock Battle was simple.
It was solely to preserve the original story where Elined retained her position as a Schuler.
That was why I'd risked exposing my abilities in order to earn enough Contribution Score.
However, the official match didn't contain any special conditions that would affect the original story.
'So there's no reason for me to get involved.'
I'd simply stay tucked away somewhere inconspicuous until the match ended.
Even if I didn't move, the other students would secure victory on their own.
There was still about a week left before the official match.
Until then, there wouldn't be any special training or Schuler gatherings.
The following day.
Around noon, as sunlight poured down upon the Livestock Shed.
A new guest arrived.
...It was someone I hadn't seen in quite a while.
As she ran over, her long sky-blue hair fluttered behind her.
“Lapinnnnn...!”
Karin rushed over and tightly embraced Lapin.
Lapin raised one hand and gently stroked Karin's head.
“Karin, I missed you.”
“Mm... Me too...”
Burying her face against Lapin's shoulder, Karin softly patted her back.
Today was the day before vacation officially ended, so every student had returned to the Academy.
Karin was no exception.
Eventually, Karin stepped out of Lapin's embrace and looked at me.
“I've gotten taller, right?”
“That's the first thing you say after seeing me?”
“Did I or didn't I?”
“I don't know. You look the same.”
“Hmph.”
“Don't hit me.”
Thump!
Thump!
After punching my arm a few times, Karin walked over beside Lapin.
“How have you been, Lapin?”
“A lot happened.”
Lapin was usually a woman of few words.
But today was different.
Apparently, she'd had countless things she wanted to tell Karin.
Her gentle voice continued without pause.
She talked about everything that had happened during vacation.
I secretly listened, wondering if she'd mention the Witch.
Fortunately, she had enough sense not to bring that up at all.
“The snowy mountains? You went on a trip? With Villed...?”
Karin's gaze slowly turned toward me.
...It was a strange look.
I couldn't tell what emotions hid behind it.
“What?”
As soon as I asked, Karin answered.
“Next time, take me too.”
“Well... Classes start again tomorrow. Who knows when we'll have enough free time to travel again?”
“Promise me.”
“...All right.”
As I gave a casual nod, the two resumed chatting.
Suddenly, Karin looked toward the two-story house nearby.
“So that's the house you built during vacation? I was wondering why there was a house here... You really built it yourself...”
“Mm. Big Sister Lupina, Sia, and I built it together.”
“Huh? Wait... Who did you say? Sia...?”
Karin blinked.
She had met Sia during the Comprehensive Examination.
Perhaps because Sia was always quiet and kept to herself...
Karin had apparently been interested in her for quite some time.
She'd wanted to speak to her before, but never found the courage.
Just as expected, Karin immediately began asking about Sia.
“How did Sia end up here?”
She turned toward me.
It was obvious she wanted an explanation.
“Tell me. I'm curious.”
Since she was so persistent, I had no choice but to briefly explain everything that had happened.
“My goodness... You bought an island...? And Sia happened to be there? What unbelievable coincidence...”
After quietly muttering to herself, Karin looked back at me.
“So now you can come and go freely. Since it's your island.”
“That's right.”
“I always felt a little uneasy before. It kind of felt illegal. Now I don't have to worry anymore.”
After hesitating for a moment, Karin cautiously asked,
“...Then is Sia still on the island?”
“She probably is.”
As soon as I answered, Lapin gently took Karin's hand.
“Karin, would you like to go see Sia together?”
“Ah... O-Okay...”
Karin hesitated.
She didn't look particularly eager.
“I do want to... but it'd be a bother. We're not even close...”
“...”
At Karin's words, Lapin lowered her gaze in silence.
...Just then, someone approached.
“Foot patrol complete without incident.”
It was the Manager, who had just returned from his morning patrol.
“Good work.”
When I replied, Karin glanced toward the Manager before quietly asking me with obvious caution,
“...Who is he?”
The Manager reacted first.
Like someone greeting a noble, he respectfully bowed.
“Are you a friend of Young Master? I am the Manager in charge of guarding the Livestock Shed.”
“And he also serves as the Dorm Supervisor here.”
After I added that, the Manager scratched the back of his head.
“Ah, I forgot again. Just as Young Master Villed said, I also serve as the Dorm Supervisor.”
“Oh, I see. I'm Karin, a Second-year Student. Your name is so unique that I think it'll be easy to remember.”
“Haha, I hear that quite often.”
After exchanging brief greetings, Lapin once again took Karin by the hand.
She had noticed Karin glancing at the house ever since she arrived.
It seemed obvious she wanted to look inside.
“Karin, let's go in.”
“Ah, okay!”
The moment she stepped inside, Karin gasped in admiration.
“Wow... You built this so well... I can't believe you finished it in only two months.”
“Karin, want to see my room?”
“Really? Let's go! I'm curious how you decorated it!”
“My room is on the second floor.”
“So you live upstairs... Somehow, that's exciting.”
Climbing the stairs, Karin threw the bedroom door open.
Bang!
“Waaah...”
A small chandelier glowed softly from the ceiling.
The spacious room was neatly organized.
A desk stood to the right.
An elegant bed occupied the left corner.
Curtains gently swayed beside the window.
Several flowerpots were neatly lined up beneath it.
“Karin, the view is beautiful from here.”
Lapin stepped out onto the balcony first and beckoned Karin over.
Standing beside Lapin, Karin looked out over the scenery.
“It feels so refreshing. It's so much nicer than the dormitory... I'm jealous, Lapin.”
At those words, Lapin seemed to remember something.
She took both of Karin's hands.
“Karin, come live here with us.”
“...Huh? Me too? Is that really okay?”
Karin's eyes widened.
“We're actually looking for Residents right now.”
I answered in Lapin's place.
“There are six rooms. Lapin and the Dorm Supervisor are using two of them, so there are four rooms left.”
“Hm? Four? Not three? Villed, don't you have your own room?”
...Right.
Normally, I should have had one.
“I originally planned to use one... but I figured I'd rather just stay in the storage room.”
“Huh? Even though it's this nice? Have you just gotten used to living in a storage room...?”
“Maybe.”
Of course, Karin wasn't wrong.
I'd grown accustomed to the storage room.
But the real reason was to maximize the benefits of the Resident system by bringing in one more Resident.
“Then... Can I move into this house too...?”
Karin asked cautiously.
“The dormitory fee is honestly pretty expensive. Oh, and... Is the soundproofing good?”
“Well, the basics are covered.”
“That's a relief...”
Karin pulled out a totem from her pocket.
It still had sawdust clinging to it, as though she'd been carving it moments earlier.
“The sound of carving totems has always made me self-conscious. During the first semester, everyone let it slide. But in the second semester, people openly complained, so I could barely make any...”
“Hey, hamster. Is it really that important?”
“It is to me! Do you know how much I've struggled because I couldn't even tell anyone about it?!”
After taking a deep breath, Karin continued,
“I needed a place where I could carve without worrying. And getting to stay next door to Lapin makes it even better...”
She hesitated before asking,
“The dining hall is farther away from here... Would meals still be provided?”
“Of course.”
“Mm...! If it's food you make, then I'd love that!”
Karin's face immediately lit up with delight.
It seemed she'd finally made up her mind.
“I'll pack my things and come tomorrow!”
“Mm, Karin. I'm happy you'll be here.”
“But before that, you still have to go through an interview.”
“...An interview?”
That day, a simple interview was conducted.
The result...
Passed.
Third Resident Contract Complete!
Name: Ruir Karin Dekkus
I assigned Karin one role within the residence and gave her a room.
...That left three vacant rooms.
The morning of the first day of the Second-year Student's first semester.
The area in front of the Main Building was crowded with first-year students waiting for the entrance ceremony.
During my first year, classes had always been held there.
But starting today, things were different.
“Lapin, we're not going there. Come with me.”
I stopped Lapin as she absentmindedly headed toward the Main Building.
Each of the three upper-ranked departments used its own separate building.
Alchemia used the East Wing.
Hawkeye used the Central Wing.
And the Finders Department used the West Wing.
We headed toward a first-floor classroom in the West Wing.
The moment I opened the door, a spacious lecture hall came into view.
Rows of tiered seats filled the room.
Every student already seated immediately turned to look at us.
'So I've finally come.'
The major figures of
The Princess.
Ruga.
Curio.
Heidel.
Kunking.
Torono.
Kaelyn.
Elined.
Sia.
And...
Ren, the protagonist of this world.
“Huh? What's this?”
The first to approach us was the crew-cut Torono.
“Hey, don't flatter yourself. This isn't somewhere your grades qualify you to enter. This is the Finders Department classroom. Get out of here, Dedencman.”
When I silently looked down at him, Torono frowned and waved his hand dismissively.
“Shoo, shoo. I said get out. Didn't you hear me?”
Just then—
“What are you doing over there?”
A deep middle-aged voice sounded from behind us.
...It was Ruber, the professor in charge of the Finders Department.
Startled, Torono hurriedly spoke.
“N-No, Professor. I just thought Dedencman came to the wrong classroom...”
“Take your seat.”
“Y-Yes, sir...!”
Torono glared at me once before returning to his seat.
Lapin and I took seats near the front.
The lecture hall grew quiet.
But the puzzled gazes of everyone present remained fixed on me.
Ruber stepped onto the podium.
“Answer when your name is called.”
Looking down at the roster, he began the roll call.
“Arlhardt Remina Astrid.”
“...Present.”
“Valentine Kaelyn.”
“Yeees~”
“Torono Papings Leten.”
“Yes, sir! Torono present!”
The roll call continued.
Then—
“Riz Villed Dedencman Ludwig.”
At last.
My name was called.
“Present.”
The instant I answered—
“...Whaaat?!”
Bang!
Torono slammed both hands onto his desk as he shot to his feet.
Everyone in the classroom simultaneously turned to stare at me.